While diligently working on a very productive Friday afternoon (seriously!), I ran into an old friend online. I know what you’re thinking, “Jen’s been wasting time on Facebook again.” But it’s not like that, ya’ll. While planning out a strategy for Pulse 2010 communications, I decided to try and get to know some of the new friends that www.facebook.com/ibmpulse has made lately. It’s important to know your audience before blasting off something awkward in social cyberspace that provokes an encore performance from Keyboard Cat.

One of the new Pulse friends had posted a really neat little video that sings the praises of Geekdom called I AM A GEEK by the Society for Geek Advancement. Now, I’m not exactly sure when it became cool to be a geek, but the tables have indeed turned. Never mind snarky little Mac commercials that pick on poor old beige PC. Those, IMHO, are so 2000-late.

As I watched this video, I was filled with pride and an instant kinship with the geeks it profiled. If I hadn’t been so distracted by my growling tummy, I would have even gotten a little misty [enter Keyboard Cat].

Only a geek can understand how I became BFFs with pals I met online. And not just because they read the same mystery series I read, but specifically because we share the same favorite character in that series. I suddenly felt like Rudolph and Hermey (You know! That elf that wanted to be a dentist?) when they landed on the Isle of Misfit Toys.

After the video, I wanted to peruse the sponsoring website www.geekadvancement.com. There, I noticed that I was encouraged to purchase a T-shirt that says, “I AM A GEEK” so that I can “be the geek that keeps on giving.” Wha . . . ?

Maybe the cool geek thing was wearing out it’s welcome a leeeeeettle too fast. I was just about to blow that popsicle stand when I noticed some barely readable text that sent my heart a pitter-pattering as it once again filled with that warm and fuzzy feeling of familiarity. Next to the graphic of the T-shirt I was solicited to buy were the words:

“All proceeds go to Room to Read, building schools and libraries for children in developing countries around the world.”

Pulse 2008 veterans, it’s pop quiz time! Who is the founder of Room to Read and what high paying gig did he walk away from to change the world through literacy?

A. Lance ArmstrongB. Hootie and the BlowfishC. John Wood

Click the following video for the answer, kids:

I still think I'd rather donate cash to Room to Read than buy a shirt with that kind of proclamation.

With summer vacation coming to close, the kids are heading back to school, and once again it’s time to prepare for the harvest. For some, it’s a bittersweet time as kids venture out into the wildernesses of kindergarten through college. For others, it’s a welcome return to a routine of days begun without Finneas and Ferb, followed by the freedom to indulge in an intense focus on work without the whiny pitches of, “Maaahhhhmmeeeeeeeee! I need a snnnaaa-aaack” at regular intervals.

I hope you all had a good summer. Maybe you took a vacation. Me? If you’d been reading my blogs you won’t be surprised to hear that Central Texas destroyed every one of its existing heat records dating back to 1854, and along with it, my desire for my annual beach trip.

Heat exhaustion can do strange things to a person. Some see things like a mirage in a desert. Others might hear ringing in their ears. When I saw my vehicle’s thermostat register 130 F in my driveway, I listened for fire truck sirens.

Instead I heard the call of the wild, which emphatically told me to head north and keep going until I reached a glacier or something. Call of the wild? More like call of the brilliant ideas!

I was really glad I answered that call. It led me to a cabin in the North Woods of Minnesota on Lake Superior. Ok, it’s not a glacier but it used to be. After chilling for a while (under wool blankets!), I returned home recharged and ready for the harvest. For Pulse, our harvest goals include recruiting 300 Service Management experts to speak at Pulse 2010 by October 16.

Hoping to capitalize on some clever Internet trend or hilarious current event for my next blog, I discovered something called the Top 20 Marketing Trends of 2009 on Google. This list managed to be both dull yet somewhat intriguing all at once. Dull because it was a list, which I find inherently boring. Intriguing because I wanted to see just how “on” it’s predictions were. Did it predict what was obviously already a trend, or did it predict something altogether fresh that emerged in March or June?

The truth is, I don’t know because I never made it past trend #1: Recession Marketing. The author writes,

“Expect a lot of marketing messaging related to the recession. Don’t be surprised to see lots of offers that “save you money” throughout the year. With fewer purchasing dollars available, how will your marketing message be distinctive and stand out?”

I confess that the word “Recession” kinda makes me shudder. It’s like the Bogeyman. Spooky and invisible. Now that I have your attention, Recession seems to say, let me infect you with anxiety and paralyze you with pessimism.

On the other hand, the Recession has inspired all of us to pause and ponder our situation. It is always wise to think, but thoughts alone never saved nor earned a penny and the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, right?

So let’s give the Bogeyman the boot!

If you are managing a dynamic infrastructure as executive leadership, security, operations, storage, production, delivery, facilities or communications service, the way to do this is to reduce cost and risk to the business and amp up the service quality and delivery. You probably already knew that, but did you know that IBM Service Management can provide the visibility, control, and automation for your business to lead a successful transition through the recession?

Where to Begin

Pulse 2010 will be THE epic mashup of education, innovation and networking around service management. If you only choose one event in 2010, Pulse is the one you can’t afford to miss where you will learn new, proven ways of deploying service management solutions, which could have an ROI benefit 10 times higher than the conference cost.

Immediate Savings,Options and Deadlines

The most valuable opportunities to get started with this business of reducing costs and improving service are only available for a few more weeks. And since you, loyal customers, keep telling us that your top priority is to figure out ways to preserve capital and cut operational expenses, this is one opportunity you must not let pass.

Free Admission to Pulse: Clients Speakers attend FREE. We are accepting your proposals until November 2. Submit a 100-word abstract of your successful application of service management here.

Save up to $600 on Pulse:Register by November 16 and save $500 on a full conference badge for the Premier Service Management Event. Register as part of a group of 5 or more from the same organization and save an additional $100!

If your management needs more proof that Pulse is a wise investment, fill out this Business Justification Form and present them with the facts.

Get thee to Pulse and we can all say bye-bye to this notion of Recession Marketing and the Bogeyman.

So. We picked a guest speaker for Pulse, one of IBM’s flagship conferences. And this time it’s not a sports hero. This time we picked someone more renowned for his serious passion to save the world. For real. Our dude is busting his rump to save us from the fire and brimstone we’ll be swimming in when all the glaciers melt. And since we here at IBM have been talking the talk of building a smarter planet, I’m thinking our choice makes a lot of sense. Because the world wouldn’t be so smart if we all got dead. There’d be all these data centers floating about aimlessly. Just saying.

Ladies and Gentleman of the blogosphere, please put your fingertips on your keyboard and prepare to tell the rest of the interwebs that we are honored to host:

United States Army Veteran,

Best Selling Author,

Grammy Award Winner,

Academy Award Winner,

Nobel Laureate,

and 45th Vice President of the United States,

Al Gore, Cooler Planet Crusader in Chief.

But if says he’s building an arc, I’m still not buying stock in the big box home improvement center that’s breeding grackles in its 40 acre parking lot. They’re chasing away all the song birds. I’m just saying.

Stop by the Pulse 2010 Expo and say hello to our Sponsors. We are honored to have these great companies partner with us at Pulse!

And now, a few words from our sponsors ;-)

Alcatel-Lucent - DiamondExecute your transformation with Alcatel-Lucent; the
world’s largest Tivoli Assurance integrator, with over 130 customers deployed in
the telecom, transport and energy markets. Come see us (D302) to discuss how to
assure your business performance, your time to revenue, your assets and how to
enhance your customer experience.

Pirean - DiamondPirean -
AAA Accredited and industry leading consultancy, development and support
services for IT Security and Service Management built on IBM Tivoli Software. As
proud sponsors of Pulse 2010 we invite you to join us at booth D301 to find out
more about our Smarter Tivoli Solutions and Services portfolio.

generationE Technologies - PlatinumgenerationE Technologies presents
Transform Your Business by Taking Automation to the Next Level, a
Pre-Pulse Webcast. on February 17th at 11 a.m. Eastern time.Learn about Orchestrating Tivoli Event and Incident Response with Resolve
Runbook Automation. Register here. As a Platinum Sponsor, we are
hosting a customer reception at PULSE.Email payal.kindiger@generationetech.com or visit booth P305.

EDI
- GoldThe convenient truth is that
people like great prizes from EDI! Maximo users - come get a carbon credit from
EDI at booth G-312 for your chance to receive one of many great prizes to warm
your heart!

ESRI -
GoldESRI has provided mapping
technology to IBM users for over 20 years. Today IBM users are improving the
performance of their organizations by implementing ESRI GIS technology to manage
mobile and fixed assets more efficiently. Visit ESRI at booth G308 in the
Solution Center to see the smarter planet from a new perspective. . www.esri.com

Gulf Breeze Software Partners - GoldNo matter which Tivoli applications you're
deploying, Gulf Breeze Software Partners can help you make the most out of your
investment. We have helped customers deploy fully integrated solutions comprised
of ITM, ITCAM, Maximo, NetCool/OMNIbus and TBSM, so we can help you make it all
work together.

Syclo -
GoldFor over a decade Syclo’s SMART
Mobile Suite has been the #1 selling mobile solution.Why? We’ve taken
our deployments in 750 organizations and developed prebuilt, preintegrated,
feature-rich industry applications. Regardless of connectivity, device or number
of users our mobile works. Visit us in PULSE booth G307 and at maximo.syclo.com

Actuate - SilverGet up to speed on BIRT, the reporting technology in Maximo and Tivoli
Common Reporting. See a demonstration of a Maximo dashboard with KPIs, where
BIRT and Actuate reports co-exist, business users can perform self-service
reporting, and information can be delivered to non-Maximo users at the Actuate
and Reporting House Booth #S220.

Enfora - SilverHow do you start to connect and manage high value assets that sit beyond
your enterprise network or turn ‘dumb’ assets into intelligent assets?
Enfora, a leader in wirelessly networking geographically dispersed assets, will
demo a new Maximo External Adapter (MEA) that enables asset management from a
wide area wireless network (WWAN).

GenesisSolutions - SilverGenesisSolutions (Booth #S419), a proud sponsor of IBM Pulse 2010, will
be co-presenting with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals on a successful Maintenance
Excellence program consisting of RCM, planning & scheduling, critical
spares, calibration, automation and controls. Additionally, we will be
presenting with Port of Seattle on “Putting Maximo Work History to Work”.

Lighthouse Security Group -
SilverLighthouse
Gateway™ is an industry-leading, next-generation platform for Enterprise
Identity and Access Management (IAM). A cloud-computing alternative to
conventional on-premise Tivoli IAM infrastructure, Lighthouse Gateway
considerably reduces Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) while providing clients with
an ease of management, quick time to market, and compliance with industry
regulations. For more information and a preview, please visit www.DiscoverLighthouseGateway.com

Materna - SilverAs a leading European ICT company MATERNA provides solutions for IBM’s
Dynamic Infrastructure strategy. Our solution “Training in a Cloud” exemplifies
how to combine service management, virtualization, automation and client
management into one ready for use service. MATERNA provides an integrated
understanding of how to implement cloud services.

Panduit - SilverVisit Panduit booth (S222) and learn how Panduit’s Physical
Infrastructure Manager™ Software Platform and intelligent PanView iQ™ System
Hardware work together to provide local or remote management and monitoring of
connectivity, ensuring network reliability to support service level agreements
and reduce network costs.

I’m going to predict that the people who know me
are going to LOL when they read this blog because I don’t tweet. This is ironic
because I am a certifiable Internet JUNKIE! For proof of this, I met by best
friends online and talk to them more than the people in my house. And when I do
see my online BFFs in person, we have our lifeline laptops with us to
feed the monkey when it demands to be fed. (Yes, we've chatted with each other on the Internet while sitting side-by-side. Mmm-hmmm. Nerds, I tell ya.)

But Twitter has never been my thing. I often wonder if I
need to be indoctrinated at some social media therapy center so that I can keep
my job as marketing communications specialist.Tiffany Winman, feel free to reply with any recommendations here or on
my Facebook Wall.

Ahh, Facebook. Definitely more my speed. Perhaps there is a way to tweet via Facebook
that I just haven’t learned yet. Tiff?

Ok, ok. So I have tweeted some for Pulse, if not much from my own neglected Twitter account. Tiffany, our social media guru, taught me
how to use a few cool tools, like HootSuite, which updates status with Twitter
and Facebook at the same time – which I loooove. A working IBMer mom of two
littles, I am all about multi-tasking. You know, two tweeting birds: one stone.
Check it out if you have the Twitter and/or Facebook Junkie Monkey on your
back.

Take from me (or don't): there is no shame in being
clueless as to just what the heck the Twitter fuss is all about. But, if you
are attending Pulse this year, you should care.

Here's why.

This conference is going to be huge. Pulse will be host to
over 5000 attendees and feature over 300 client and IBM Business Partner
presentations. So while your ticket to Pulse can provide a glimpse of what the
near future will look like from the most uber-intelligent Tech and Business
experts, you are still going to miss a lot because it is impossible to be in
more than one place at a time.

Unless you use Twitter. Twitter is the closest thing to time
travel that we have right now. And if aren't planning to travel to Pulse the old-fashioned way by plane, you can use Twitter to beam yourself up to Vegas.

Tagging
your tweets ensures that your input is included in search results on your
subject matter. And you want this. People don’t tweet because they want to be
wallflowers. So they use hashtags.

Always
wanted to know what a hashtag was but were too busy to Google it? A hashtag is
just a tag included inline with your status update.

Twitter
tags are called hashtags because they are preceded by the "#"
character. The “#” prefix is
called the hash (mark) and in Twitter messages it is immediately followed,
without a space, by topic or issue you want to tag for others to find.
Together, you have a code called a “Hashtag.”

IBM Tivoli 2010 Business Partner awards were also announced as follows:

Pirean wins IBM Tivoli 2010 Business Partner Service Management Solution Award for outstanding business partner solution delivering the visibility, control and automation required to industrialize business and IT operations.Founded in 2002, Pirean is a leading systems integrator and consultancy delivering real-time business and service assurance through solutions for infrastructure and application management. Pirean worked with a major UK Government Agency to address significant Service Management challenges. The customer had no accurate view of the IT estate, limited KPI reporting and time consuming SLA management. Through a detailed process of discovery of the existing environment, Pirean was able to review and document process in line with ITIL best practice (ISO20000) – and by leveraging the integrated IBM portfolio, design a solution from a technology perspective to ensure that process was followed. The solution includes customer specific customizations to each Screen within Tivoli Service Request Manager and CCMDB, as well as implementing workflows that guide the user through the defined service management process. The solution delivered has already demonstrated the ability to introduce increased structure and control through workflows, and dramatically improved configuration management through the discovery tools and provides a level of compliance management previously not available.

Finalists included: B4Restore, ReachView Technologies

Softential, Inc. wins IBM Tivoli 2010 Business Partner Innovation Award for leading the charge to manage the world’s infrastructure with IBM Tivoli capabilities and solutions in innovative, intelligent, and exciting ways. Founded in 2000, Softential provides Service Management solutions for businesses that need to monitor and manage their services, IT infrastructure and workflow. Softential's product OpsAssure is a new enhanced integration and visualization of relevant CMDB data (asset and GIS information) and Google Maps; and dynamic weather information (from N.O.A.A); essentially forging new capabilities as called for in IBM’s Smart Planet initiative. OpsAssure provides integrations with IBM Tivoli Business Automation products (Netcool OMNIbus, Netcool Webtop and Netcool Impact). Working with client Cox Communications, Softential used their OpsAssure solution to help Cox better obtain fault and event information to Cox across service areas in the context of real-time weather data (obtained periodically from NOAA) and its affect on Cox’s service availability and QOS. Cox benefits from having this unprecedented visibility into its service areas both in normal operating conditions as well as when faced with adverse weather. As a result, Cox is able to reduce outage durations and ensure customer satisfaction.FINALISTS: generationE, the Createch Group

eSolutions wins the Smarter Planet Award for its dedicated work with clients to manage instrumented, interconnected and intelligent infrastructures with better visibility control and automation.

Alcatel Lucent wins the Network Equipment Provider Award for its contribution to Tivoli’s success in 2009.

StorServer wins the Application Specific License Award for its contribution to Tivoli’s success in 2009. Winner:

Pulse 2010 Best of Show Award for showcasing a solution at the Pulse conference that solves problems in today’s IT market by using creative methods, drives new markets, and fosters new innovation and cutting edge solutions. TBD until Monday

The CIO Summit, International Forum Reception, Maximo User Groups sessions, and the opening of the Pulse Solution Expo were also part of today's big events. The first day of general sessions starts tomorrow.

Vice-President Al Gore discussed how business leaders can step up to the challenge of helping to make the world a better place with energy efficiency and climate change. Gore's humor was a big hit with the audience.